


Rebirth

by Angelicat2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Demisexual Keith (Voltron), Dissociation, Implied Sexual Content, Keith & Krolia (Voltron) on the Space Whale, Omega Keith (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Shiro (Voltron), Past Child Abuse, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Unrequited Love, bc Keith has a heat, but not completely canon compliant, or is it???, shiro is kosmo, will cover s6-s8+?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 00:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21025091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: When Shiro died, something went sideways. He finds himself waking up from a crash into the hard rocky ground, giant crab-like monsters all around him. Luckily, Keith’s there to save him once again…Too bad Keith doesn’t know it’s him. He’s stuck in the body of a...wolf?





	1. Razor's Edge

**Author's Note:**

> Hahahhhh...this is one I've had planned for a while but never got out. I roughly have a beginning and ending for this...just everything in the middle I am still figuring out ^.^
> 
> I just decided when I started that Shiro being Kosmo made so much more sense than s8 did and I will explore that later in here and I do have a reason on why s8 stuff happens and why Shiro (not as the wolf) is so unlike himself. 
> 
> Enjoy though!

One moment, Shiro thrusts the sword into Zarkon’s mech, fire blasting through the shell of the large machine, the next he’s falling through space. Everything is purple and blurring and weird as he feels weightless as if no longer attached to a body. Sometimes there are stars and it feels somewhat close to Black’s mindscape...This goes on for moments, maybe minutes before his lungs burn and he feels heavy and strange and _wrong._ An even longer moment of intense pain and lack of air hits him, sending him curling into a fetal position.

He can’t breathe...He can’t think...It feels…

It feels like he’s crashing to Earth. As if he had crashed back to Earth without a pod to protect him from burning up in the atmosphere. Like a meteor showering down upon the planet. Everything feels out of place like his legs and his nose and his ears an-

The pain stabs at him quickly. A loud noise breaks through his ears until he thinks he’s going to hear it the rest of his life. Something slams into his body, knocking him into a dazed stupor as he curls even further in. 

As quickly as it comes, it recedes. Blinking his eyes open, he takes in the sight of large crab-like creatures baring over him, so big that he knows he can’t dodge them as their pinchers fly for him. He feels so small, like a baby pup unable to move from its spot. Ready to face more pain, he sees something very familiar fly through the air by him, slashing off the claws about to cut him apart. He hears a blaster go off a time or two, but he keeps his eyes on the one before him as he dodges, cuts, slashes, and splits open the beasts with an oh-so-familiar sword of dark metal.

It’s Keith.

Shiro is so excited to see the younger. He looks about the same as when he had last seen him, but he was obviously much more experienced with fighting as Shiro could see when Keith switched hands to cut off the thing’s leg, sliding underneath of it with a small shout. He’s dressed in the full Blade of Marmora outfit, including a belt that held said weapon and a pouch or two. That worries Shiro a bit, since the last time he saw Keith, the younger was in his lion, dressed in the red and white armor of the Red Paladin of Voltron. What was he doing here? Did he join the Blade? Why did he join the Blade? Was everyone else okay?

And then the fight was over. Keith bent down to his knees, pressing a hand out to his forehead, rubbing the clothed fingers into the tiny floof of his hair. Shiro sighs as he takes it all in, feeling safe and secure and smal-

And then he realizes…

He doesn’t just feel small...he is small. Keith stands over him like he had to Keith at one point, when they first met. In fact, there was more distance between them now than there had been years ago. Letting out a cry of surprise, all he heard was a tiny bark. Eyes wide, he snapped his eyes down...down...down…

On to dark blue paws.

Paws…

Not feet...But paws, tiny little beans of a dog’s paw. 

What the fuck was happening?

“Hey, it’s okay,” Keith whispered as he petted down Shiro’s hair - head - again, “They were scary. You’re safe now though, boy.”

‘Keith,’ Shiro tried to speak, but it came out as a long whine. Keith pets his head again before gently picking him up, cradling him to his chest as he steps away from the crabs and into the fresh grass. When Shiro looks over his shoulder, he sees a large crater hole in the hard ground, rock shattered from where he must have fallen. When he turns his head back, he sees woman...a Galra who looks like someone…

“What do you have with you?” She asks curiously as Keith grips him just a bit tighter, making Shiro huff but not try anything. If anything, he adored by held like this. It felt nice and was one of the few nice touches he had in a long time.

“Space pup,” Keith answered back roughly before he glared at her, “Want me to leave it behind too?”

The woman winces. Shiro gazes up at Keith, lost on why he’s being so mean towards the other. Keith wasn’t this rude to anyone ever, not even the Galra, unless they had had something to do with hurting Shiro. He gazed over at the woman, still getting that feeling that he had seen someone like her but not her specifically. Glancing back to his best friend, he was still glaring daggers into the other person, acting like the woman was his worst enemy. Shiro sniffed at the other’s armor, getting a whiff of his emotions. The younger was angry like a fire burning itself for days...no, years. He was frustrated and annoyed. Shiro could taste a small flare of hurt in there somewhere...and fear. Lots of fear. It weighed the younger down, even if it didn’t show on his face.

Why? And what was with his sentence? Did she make him leave behind something? Or did she leave behind something? Or-

“No, I think he likes you,” she stated after a moment as she turned away with another tiny flinch, “I think he needs a guardian. It would be a smart idea if w-”

“Sure, like I didn’t,” Keith snapped at her before hugging Shiro closer. Shiro cried out as a whine left his throat. He rubbed his head to Keith’s chest, trying to cheer him up, “Fine. Let’s go find some shelter. It’s not like you’re gonna tell me anything anyway.”

And with that, Keith walks off with a deep scowl on his lips, brows twisted down as he all but ignores the woman behind him now. Shiro doesn’t have to look to hear the sad sigh that the woman lets out as the three begin their journey to find some shelter.

…..

Shiro’s a cosmic wolf. An actual cosmic wolf. He doesn’t know how that happened. He’s got a bushy tail, four - FOUR not three - long legs, warm fur, and big ears...hm...maybe that part didn’t change much. Shiro had always been teased by his closest friends for having large ears in the first place.

And the Galra is Keith’s mother, the one who left him when he was young. The one he doesn’t remember and where his knife came from. Now that Shiro knows, he sees the resemblance. Keith does look like her. They both bear the same intensity, the fiery passion, the looks. Seriously, how did Shiro not see it sooner? Krolia was the female-Galra version of Keith.

It’s only been a day. They’ve found shelter in a cave. They’ve got plenty of food from those crabs, and Keith feeds him some carefully. The meat isn’t the greatest he’s had, but he eats it up because he’s starving and this is Keith giving him it. He’d trust him with anything. Before he’s aware of it, he’s falling asleep curled up in Keith’s lap, nose pressed to his tail. 

It’s warm and safe and good and _Keith_ is there. What more could he want?

…..

Shiro wakes to an argument.

“Keith-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Shiro turns over from curling up next to the fire as Keith plops down by his side, looking mistrustfully at the Galra. Shiro can smell the pain oozing off of him as he lays down, rubbing at Shiro’s head, “I know why you left, but I’m still mad. You don’t know what I went through without you there! How many times I was called weird because I only had one parent! And when pops...when pops died, I had no one. You want to know how many foster homes I ended up in?”

The woman looked ready to protest but he cut her off with a slight growl. Shiro blinked as he stared up at the younger. It was nothing new to him. He had heard all about it from both Keith and Keith’s file, something of which he only took a glimpse at before deciding to vouch for the other. His past didn’t make him the person he was when Shiro first met him, after all.

“I stopped counting after ten,” Keith glared at her, eyes sharp with pain and anger, teeth gritted as he forced himself not to cry. Shiro pressed his head into his lap, pressing a lick over the armor of Keith’s thigh, hoping he noticed it, “The first one took me back because I cried too much! The second one because I got into a fight with their other foster because they believed every word he said.”

Shiro whined softly before laying his head in Keith’s lap. He never liked these stories. They only got worse as time went on.

“The third wanted to keep me, but they were too old so they had to take me back. The couple were suffering from Alzheimer’s and were forgetting more and more stuff,” Keith glared at the fire, likely in thought, “The fourth...was a religious family, one of the extreme ones. They hated everything LGBT and I was beginning to sort out how I felt at the time.”

Keith paused before he hugged himself. Shiro whined before pressing closer, knowing full-well what had happened and wishing he could tell Keith that he didn’t have to tell this woman about it. He didn’t have to say it. He didn’t _need_ to prove anything.

“And I knew I wasn’t really into people like I should have been,” Keith sighed softly before he winced, “Everyone my age talked about things like that, and I just...never felt that way. But my foster parents didn’t like that, said there was something wrong with me...that I was broken…”

“Keith,” Krolia starts only for him to glare.

“Don’t ‘Keith’ me,” he hissed before moving back some, holding Shiro tighter, “You don’t get it. They treated me like shit for the time I was with them all because of that one thing. If you had been there-”

Keith stopped suddenly before pressing his face into the fur on Shiro’s chest. The other licked a strip on his head, knowing that there were things Keith wasn’t telling the older Galra. Things that the foster family had done to him...how they had excluded him from the family, how they had spat in his face constantly that no one would ever love him, how they had hurt Keith deeply on the inside. Shiro glanced back at the woman who just stared down in shame, probably understanding that Keith wasn’t telling her everything.

“That wasn’t even the worst one,” Keith spoke after a moment, “And I...I thought they had to have been right. That you left because you hated me. That you were better off without me.”

“Keith,” Krolia’s voice is soft with sadness.

“And then when we were in space, I found out that I wasn’t even fully human,” Keith stated softly before messing with some of Shiro’s fur, “And I thought that that is why you left. Because you didn’t want a half-breed for a s-”

“Keith,” Krolia scowled at him as the younger finally looked up, “Don’t call yourself that.”

“What?” Keith laughed darkly before staring her intensely, “A half-breed? I’m not stupid, okay? I’ve heard it thrown around in my time with the Blade. I’ve heard it on missions. It’s true, isn’t it? I am.”

“Keith-”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Keith pressed his legs to his chest, squishing Shiro to his chest as the wolf huffed quietly. He was tougher than he looked, it seemed, since none of his bones shattered at Keith’s hold, “It’s not like being one would have made you stay.”

“Keith, I should have been there-” She moved closer but Keith scooted back with a hiss.

“Don’t touch me!” Keith growled with anger dipping of his tongue like sour honey, “You know what? Just do whatever you like but leave me alone.”

Shiro whined low in his chest, knowing that the younger didn’t really want to be left alone. Keith liked people being near him. He needed people near. But right now, he was hurting in one of the worst ways after meeting this woman who had never been around. Shiro couldn’t blame him.

“I don’t need your help,” Keith glared as he stood on shaky feet, “I don’t need your hugs or whatever you want to try giving me, okay? It’s nineteen years too late and I can take care of myself just like I have been for years, on my own, by myself!”

And then he twirled on his heel, marching for the exit of the cave. Krolia called out once, but the other ignored it as he rushed away to...well, Shiro didn’t know where and he guessed Keith didn’t either. The older was still being held to Keith’s chest, but he didn’t protest as the young man finally set them down somewhere quite a distance away.

“I’m sorry, boy,” Keith frowned before rubbing at a spot on Shiro’s ear, which Shiro merely barked at softly, “I’m sorry.”

Shiro whined as he moved closer, snuggling against the younger. Keith had nothing to apologize for. The older hated how Keith fell into this cycle of getting angry and then expecting to have to say sorry for every little thing he did. It wasn’t fair to Keith, and he wished he could say that outloud somehow. Instead, Keith latched onto him before burying his face into the other’s chest, sobbing into it deeply...crying harder than Shiro had ever seen before. That stress really must have hit him after all this time. Not even finding out he was Galra did this to him.

‘Sleep, Keith,’ Shiro tried to speak, saying it in his head fondly, knowing Keith wasn’t likely to hear it, ‘Just sleep. I’m here for you.’

Keith seemed to calm a bit after that, settling down as a large yawn ripped through his throat. Before he fell asleep, he stated something that Shiro wouldn’t have heard without his new dog ears.

“Miss you, Shiro.”

…..

Slowly, bit by bit, Keith warms up to Krolia.

It doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it takes a while for the younger to even be in the same area as her without looking away and ignoring her. But as the memories flow by in bits and pieces, he grows softer than before, seeing that his mother never wanted to leave, that she loved Keith’s dad and him very much, so much that it hurt every day that she was gone...not knowing if her family was okay or not. They see Keith’s dad’s death, and him at the grave. They see some of the foster homes, some violent and neglectful, some good. On one of the roughest where Keith got beaten badly, Krolia hugged him near as they both came out of it, and Keith...Keith had let her. 

And then the memories come of how Keith meets him...Shiro. Of being in that classroom, of being talked about behind his back, the teacher saying he would never fit in at the Garrison, of stealing the car and running off. Of being sent to juvie, only for this one man to get him out of there right after. Of them hanging out on the cliff, watching as Shiro dives off the cliff. Of Keith coming close, staring at Shiro who…honestly looked a lot hotter than he remembered being at that moment. 

They watch the Kerberos launch, see it as the ship goes out in the atmosphere. They feel a deep stab of pain when it comes that the crew was lost in space. They watch as Keith punched Iverson in the face, him leaving into the desert filled with loneliness and despair, something burning on the tip of his fingers. They see the moment fire streaks through the sky, seeing Shiro on that table. 

They see everything. Keith's worry, his pain, his deep love for Shiro, his anguish about being Galra, his doubts of being a leader. His everything. And almost all of it involves Shiro. He never knew how much he was in Keith's life, even when he wasn't physically in his life.

But soon enough, the memories shift. Shiro doesn’t notice it at first, but some of the memories are doubled back, from his view. Some are simply words and feelings...when he was first diagnosed with his disease...When he got into the Garrison with high scores...when he first met Keith, at the front of the class, seeing a defensive teen who looked like he needed a friend. They see it all. The moment Shiro goes to leave, how Keith hugs him near, never wanting to let him go. How Shiro laughed it off as Keith missing his closest (and only) friend. A deep pain strikes his arm as screams fill the air. They see them forming Voltron. They watch as he sits by a fire, looking at Keith with his own love blossoming in his heart...and, Keith looks beautiful. Shiro doesn't quite know when he started to see Keith as more than just a friend, but...it must have been then. 

They watch as he hugs Keith close after the trials. They see as he patches up the younger's wounds, shoulder still bleeding. They watch as...as Shiro dies. Now he gets it. He died when they fought Zarkon. And now...he was rebirthed as a cosmic wolf. 

Would...would he ever get to tell Keith that he loved him? They didn't even know he was their wolf. They didn't know he died. They didn't know that...that Shiro wasn't him. That there was a clone or something. Shiro wished he could communicate but...he couldn't speak like a normal person. He was a wolf, who apparently didn't have very many facial expressions. Krolia had no clue what he wanted. Keith…

Keith seemed to know though. Whether it was a good back scratch, to be cuddled, to be fed, or something, Keith was somewhat aware. He just...seemed to get it. And Shiro did everything he could to make Keith happy...except fetch sticks. That was a little too weird.

Oh, and Shiro can teleport. That was surprising. And fun. He was getting better at it. At the start, he teleported to the wrong spots. He was embarrassed to say that he had accidentally appeared right in front of Krolia when she was about to bathe in the puddle of water they had found. He was never ever going to get that out of his head. 

And there was that one time he teleported up too high, landing on Keith who had held him up like he weighed nothing. He had been bigger than Keith's shoulders by then...and it had done something to him. But his power was getting easier to use. He now helped with catching food or exploring. It was good.

He liked being here, with them. With Keith.

…..

Keith gets sick.

It’s nearly a year and a half into their ride on the whale when the younger comes down with some type...of flu or something. Shiro wakes to find Keith curled up into a ball. The other is sweating a lot with a strange odor clinging to him everywhere, so potent that Shiro would probably smell it miles away. It smells good to Shiro, like Keith but even more intense with a sweet sugary taste in there, like adding frosting to a cake. The younger is panting slightly, with flushed skin and clammy limbs, suit peeled open slightly down to his navel. Every few seconds, he shivers softly as if he’s cold.

It's not cold out.

Shiro jumps up to get Krolia. For all he knows, it could be a Galra illness. When he gets to her, she looks at him with surprise in her eyes. It’s the first time Shiro’s come to her willing, not at Keith’s side. It's not that Shiro dislikes her, but rather he wishes to be at his best friend's side as often as he can be. And she knows it, understands the meaning of it, at least as him seeing Keith as his greatest companion. 

“What’s wrong with Keith?”

He just whines before looking out in the distance, towards where he knows Keith lays. She gets the hint, clinging her hands to his fur just as he teleports to his best friend who somehow looks so much worse than before, shivering even more now.

“Oh no,” she frowns as soon as they form, running to Keith’s side before brushing her hand over Keith’s wet cheek, “Keith. Can you hear me? Wake up, Keith.”

Keith does wake up, slowly. His eyes look glazed a bit, so he must...he must have a fever. Before Shiro could think, the larger Galra pulls Keith to her chest, sitting down on the ground without a thought. Tucking the other’s face to her neck, she runs her fingers through the younger’s hair.

“Keith…”

“Am…” Keith shivers deeply enough that Shiro can see it from where he sits. More of the scent floats into the air, clogging it with his smell, “Am I...dying?”

“No,” Krolia shook her head before rubbing his cheek, smiling sadly at him, “You’re not dying.”

“But I f-feel like i-it,” Keith mutters before gritting his teeth for a long moment, only relaxing after a long few minutes, “H-hurts.”

“What hurts?”

“Everything,” Keith grips her armor, making a strange sound as he presses closer, “F-feel hot...and cold...and _clingy_ like I’m sick. And it’s even hotter further down and you guys smell weird.”

“What do we smell like?”

“You smell,” Keith’s brows squinted before Shiro pressed closer to the younger who quickly twisted around and latched onto his fur instead, pressing his face to Shiro’s fur, “Weird...not...not bad but not good...Don’t know...Wolf like home.”

Krolia seemed to expect the first part, but as Keith talked about Shiro, her eyes widened in shock. Shiro didn’t know why she did. Keith had always been close to Shiro like this, especially when sick or tired.

“Keith, you’re in heat.”

Both of them glanced at her with heads tilted in confusion. It vaguely sounded familiar to Shiro. He had heard it from somewhere...

“I had hoped you wouldn’t get the secondary dynamic we Galra get,” she sighed before she ran her fingers through his silky hair. Shiro curled up around the other who was still shivering some, “But I can smell it from here. Your body is seeking out its mate.”

“Mate?” Keith cried out softly as he pressed his hands to his stomach like it hurt there now, “Wh-what?”

“Your body is seeking its mate,” she repeated softly before rubbing his back, “That one person that can comfort you. Keith...what you described about how you felt...that’s common among us. There’s always that one person we feel...that we feel a deep connection to. What I’ve seen of your memories...this Shiro seems to match it.”

Keith laughed incredulously, sounding heartbroken.

“He doesn’t want me that way,” Shiro whined softly before licking Keith’s cheek which seemed to calm him slightly, “You saw the memories. He sees me...as a brother…”

‘No, I don’t,’ Shiro states in his mind as he presses more licks to the other’s chin, ‘I haven’t for a long time. I do want you in that way. Or any way you’ll let me. Please.’

“Are you sure about that, Keith?” She asked before sighing softly, “Keith, I’ve seen looks like the ones Shiro sent you. Your father sent me that very same look all those years ago. Shiro does not see you as a sibling.”

“Yeah, well,” Keith grumbled before tensing, “He’s not here anyway, so he can’t help.”

“He can’t,” Krolia acknowledged before her eyes landed on Shiro who blinked, “But at least your wolf seems to be helping a bit.”

“He’s…” Keith finally turned his eyes to Shiro, “He’s a good wolf. Like him.”

“I’m glad he’s here,” something in her tone made it seem deeper than that, “Just...get some rest, Keith. I’ll check on you and bring you food and water. I…”

She stood for a moment, looking ready to add more but soon gave up, face turning dark for a moment.

“Just go to sleep.”

And then she was leaving, walking away from their little spot. Shiro blinked as the woman ducked out of there, going back to the cave. At Shiro’s front, Keith shifted so he was right up to his fur, the electric blue strands covering him like a blanket. Shiro couldn't help the paw he placed over the other in a half-hug. Nor could he ignore the slight hard spot he felt lower down on his leg. This heat...Shiro had heard of it in his time as a Galra prisoner. That the person in heat usually needed sex to get over the heat faster and to make it less painful. That they needed someone there who could give them that. Unfortunately, Shiro couldn't help this time. Keith didn't know it was him...and he was a wolf. That...was a little more than awkward. 

By this time, Keith was already asleep, weakly huffing in his sleep. Shiro stares at him for a moment before tucking the younger into his neck, letting him rest his head on the soft fluff of his fur. His tail swirled around Keith's back, helping to surround him in Shiro's scent. It felt...like the right thing to do to help his best friend.

If he felt Keith moving around in his sleep in a way that was suggestive, he didn't think much of it. It was something the younger had to relieve. Something that would get rid of the building pain. With a small sniff, Shiro slipped into his own dreams, ones where he was human again and holding Keith like this, happily snuggling the smaller to his chest.

…..

"It's been two years."

Shiro tilts his head as Keith stands up. The other has grown quite a bit, looking all the more beautiful and deadly. His hair is longer, but no less silky. His body had matured along with parts of his mind. He now carries himself with a strength and confidence Shiro had always been waiting to see. One he knew the younger would have, if given enough time and love.

"We'll have to jump off the whale," Krolia speaks as her eyes glance over at Keith before the mask comes up from her Empire outfit, "But land is near. The abyss won't be pulling us away this time."

"That's good," Keith nodded before his gaze dragged to Shiro, "What about him? This whale has oxygen, but not space."

"He'll be fine," the larger looks back at them, "I've heard of cosmic wolves before. They can last well out in space. Others would burn up before getting to the ground."

"Yeah," Keith stated softly before his hands weaved through Shiro's fur. A happy sigh left the older's lips. Keith's mask transformed over his face, changing his voice, "I guess you're right."

"Ready?"

"We're ready," Keith agrees after looking at him, which he nods at, tail wagging, "Let's go see what is happening here."

And they jump. Like Krolia said, it's not a rough landing. They wander around some woods for a bit before a sound has them looking into a clearing. What they see surprises them.

There's an Altean standing near the edge of a river, washing something. One ear flicks before she turns, blonde hair swaying behind her, staring at them in shock before her stance becomes defensive. 

"Who are you?" Both groups ask at the same time.


	2. The Colony (and TBP)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romelle tells her story and Shiro and the rest go to the other colony, getting rid of it. At the same time, they rush to the team to tell them what Lotor has done...but something's wrong with the clone...and with Shiro himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got this one out! But...uhh...The Black Paladins is not gonna really be a chapter? It's included in this one bc there's really nothing to cover...since Kosmo didn't show in the ep and that works well with my story idea. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and I'm looking forward to writing All Good Things next bc I can actually mess with that from Shiro's pov. :>

Shiro watches as the two groups stare at each other in shock. Keith and Krolia are no longer as tense, but they are ready for anything that may come their way. The Altean looks ready to fight them, fists clenched and eyes fierce almost like someone he knows by his side. 

“Who are you!” The blonde screams at them with a scowl, “Did Lotor send you?”

Lotor? Who was Lotor? Shiro apparently had missed so much. He saw some of Keith’s memories in the abyss, but...he couldn’t recall a person named Lotor...except for the witch who had mentioned it once, something about him being in exile? It was just before...before they took his arm. And at Naxzela...Keith...had uttered that Lotor had saved them. So why was this _Altean_ so afraid of them and mentioning Lotor?

“Lotor?” Keith spoke up a serious face as he crossed his arms, “No, we’re here with the Blade of Marmora.”

“We heard that there was something we needed to check in this region,” Krolia continued as the blonde stared at them, “My son, Keith, knows Lotor.”

“Well, you can’t take me back!” She shouted before glancing around and grabbing a branch from the forest floor, holding it in her hand, “I won’t! He is a monster!”

“Wait, slow down,” Keith held out his hands for a moment, showing he had no weapon in his hands, “Take you back where? And what’s wrong with Lotor?”

“You…” She raised a brow before lowering the stick, “You don’t work for him?”

Shiro whined softly before huffing and shaking his head. The Altean’s amethyst eyes land on him, softening as he sniffs the air.

“I’ve never seen Lotor with any wolves,” she muttered before standing up straight, “I come from a colony of Alteans nearby. I was running away from Lotor because...because he murdered my brother and so many others. My friends, my parents.”

By this time, tears are sliding down her cheeks as she grasps her shirt. Shiro can smell the emotional pain flying off of her like smoke, and a whimper leaves his throat as he steps closer to the other who doesn’t flinch back. A second passes before he tilts his head at her, placing his paw to her leg. He doesn’t know what else to do to calm her.

“Hey,” Krolia frowned in concern before also coming closer, “Can you tell us what happened? We can’t fix what happened...but we can try to make sure that the rest of those in the colony survive.”

“I…” She nods before wiping her eyes with her palms, “My name is Romelle.”

“Keith,” Keith moves closer too as Shiro steps back until he was by the younger’s side, “This is my wolf, and that is Krolia.”

Hmmm...Shiro notices that Keith still refuses to call her his mom. He knew he’d get there eventually, but two years didn’t quite make up for all the missed time, accidental or not. Laying on his haunches, Shiro settles down to listen to the Altean’s tale. As she tells them, she grew up in the colony, preserved with Lotor’s help centuries ago. Her parents and her brother were selected to go to a new colony, but her brother had come back extremely weak and injured, saying that the colony was all a lie. That Lotor was using them. And Romelle had ran from there, not taking the risk of being with the others long before coming out to the forest, in fear of what Lotor would do. 

“I want to see what is at the colony,” she stated with firm brows, mind already made up, “I have to see what Lotor is doing to my people. I just...don’t know how to get off this place.”

“Well, our ship got wrecked on our way here,” Krolia stared out into the forest, “And I can’t get in contact with my leader yet.”

“Lotor made it that way. No one can send out any messages unless they have a personal device like what my brother gave me...a ship…” Romelle frowns before her eyes go big, “We have some. I’ll take you to one. It’s actually...not too far away.”

Shiro blinks before making a small sound.

“Okay,” Romelle crosses her arms, “It’s more like a bit away...in the middle of the colony?”

“Heh…” Keith snickered softly before brushing his fingers through Shiro’s fur, “That’s what he’s trying to tell you. My wolf can teleport us there.”

“Oh,” she stares for a moment before raising a brow, “He can do that?”

“He’s a good boy,” Keith grins softly before crouching, petting Shiro’s side. The older can’t even begin to describe how happy he gets at the compliment from the other. He probably inherited some dog instincts with this body...or maybe that’s just because it was Keith saying it, “He’ll get us there, right?”

Shiro nearly rolls his eyes. Of course he will get them there. But he’s glad Keith asked him first. Bumping his head against the other’s leg, he stretches out. His tail wraps around the Altean’s leg while his paw touches Krolia’s armor. Before they can say anything, he zaps them away to where Shiro assumes the village is. From the scents on Romelle, he must be right as they appear because everything around them smells that way too. They’re on a building, clearly Altean-styled with white metal walls and futuristic architecture. It didn’t look unlike the castle, and Shiro walked after the three as they strolled across a small bridge. At the bottom of the bridge is a small storage space, closed shut. The Altean strains to open it, but soon enough, it moves out of the way.

Inside is an Altean pod, looking just like those in the castle had. If Shiro weren’t a wolf, he’d be staring in shock and awe. In fact, Allura and Coran would be in denial about this whole place. They had been in the understanding that there were no Alteans left besides them. But these ones were and they even had some of the tech…

“Although we Alteans have no idea how to drive these things…”

Shiro gazed over at Keith knowingly. If there were ever a pilot who could fly just about anything they touched, it would be Keith. Said man smirked a bit before moving forward, running a hand over the white metal before staring back at them.

“I think I got us covered.”

…..

“I want to go to the other colony,” Romelle states once they are inside the ship, “I must find out what Lotor is really up to. What he’s done to Bandor.”

“The colony must be nearby,” Keith spoke up as he messed with the control panel, making the lights turn on, “Your brother was injured and weak. He couldn’t have gone far before crashing into your colony.”

“There is a moon nearby,” Krolia stared at her wrist computer before gazing up at the sky through the open door hiding them, “It would be a good place to hide another colony.”

“Then we should go there,” the blonde nods before glancing around at the interior of the ship, “It is quite spacey in here.”

“Until the wolf gets in,” Keith teases before pressing his hand to Shiro’s head. Shiro just huffs before wagging his tail, “Altean pods are a lot bigger inside than they look outside. Too bad we don’t have Pidge here to cloak it.”

“Pidge?” Romelle turns her head in confusion, “Who is Pidge?”

“Oh, she’s my friend,” Keith paused for a moment, which Shiro notes. From what Shiro saw of the memories of the others while he was gone...Keith was probably thinking they weren’t friends. And he couldn’t blame him if he thought so...it did hurt the younger of what the others said, “And she’s a Paladin of Voltron.”

“Paladin of Voltron!” The Altean stares at them with wide magenta eyes, “But that is but a child’s tale! Voltron was destroyed.”

“It wasn’t,” Keith pressed more buttons, making the ship come to life with a steady hum beneath them, “I was one of the paladins before I left to join the Blade.”

“Don’t discredit yourself,” Krolia almost rolls her eyes at Keith’s modesty. Shiro lets out an amused bark before giving Keith a quick knee bunt when the younger looks at him with an unimpressed expression, “He flew both the Red and Black Lions.”

“Ohhh,” the girl grins before getting excited, “So they really do exist! Lotor never mentioned it. What lion does Pidge drive? Who else is a paladin? What do the lions do? Are they just machines or sentient? Can I ride in one sometime?”

“Uhhh,” Keith blinked before sharing a look with Shiro who merely rests his head on the other’s knee. He can’t answer any of her questions, even though he knows them all, “They do exist, just hidden for 10,000 years. Pidge has the Green Lion. Besides Pidge...Lance, Hunk, Allura, and Shiro pilot the other lions. The lions do a lot of stuff...they’re a mix of both...and maybe? I’m not a paladin anymore but one of the others would let you ride with them…”

The conversation drops off there as Keith makes the craft hover in the air. They leave the Altean colony behind them as they take off for the sky, the younger’s flying as steady as ever. Shiro sits right next to his best friend as he pilots, making sure that no one follows them. He can’t teleport the whole ship like he can people and small objects, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. If it meant keeping those he loved safe...

It takes them a good twenty minutes to get there, and by then, Shiro’s on high alert. It’s unknown territory. For all they knew, Lotor could be there right now. For all they know, there could be enemies swarming the place. Keith eases them in stealithy so that no one (hopefully) sees them. Shiro glances around before holding onto parts of each person, teleporting inside the weird building before them.

Once inside, he lets go of the others, sniffing the air. It smells like recycled air and dust, as if no one has been within it for a while. It’s dark and empty, with pods set up through the whole place. Stepping forward, Shiro’s fur is on edge, bristling as he waits for an attack that never comes. The others are the same, slowly sneaking their way around the chambers, staring this way and that way as if expecting an ambush. Romelle swipes her hand against one of the pods, glass clearing from its foggy haze only to show the face of an Altean within, drained and wrinkled up, eyes dead as Shiro had ever seen on anyone. He lets out a small whimper at the sight, understanding the implications of this just as Keith does.

“He’s draining their quintessence,” Keith stares with wide eyes before they narrow, “And he’s with the paladins right now. We have to get back to them now.”

“But the Alteans,” Romelle looks over at the other with a remorseful look, “We cannot just leave them here!”

“It is too late,” Krolia speaks before frowning softly, “They are dead. No one has been here for movements, Romelle. There will be no point in coming back here.”

“Then we can at least destroy the equipment?” She exclaims before staring at the Altean in the pod, “Set the Alteans free. They at least deserve something better than being a corpse stuck in a life-draining machine.”

“We can do that,” Keith nods before Shiro agrees with a woof. It would cut them back on time, but at least no one else would be able to use this technology ever again, “We’ll bury them on this moon, and my wolf can get them out of there. Can you help him bury them?”

“I…” Romelle stared at the half-Galra for a moment before nodding along, eyes sharpening, “I’ll help your wolf.”

“Krolia and I will get rid of the machines,” Keith continued before taking out his blade, “Let’s get this done. The others need to know what Lotor has done.”

And then they get down to work. Shiro doesn’t need to directly touch something to teleport it, but the further away it was from him, it took that much more energy and concentration to do. The Altean bodies are just on the other side of a glass barrier, a lot easier to get out then if he had to get it from behind other things. Slowly, he gets them all out to the moon’s ground, where Romelle is burying each. The blonde looks sad, saying a little prayer in what Shiro guesses is New Altean as it sounds somewhat like Allura and Coran would speak in but not completely the same. There’s quite the amount of Alteans inside the facility, upwards of hundreds. As Shiro takes Alteans out, Keith and Krolia trash the devices until they are beyond salvageable. They spark a few times as the younger Galran man thrusts his dagger through cords and pipes, shattering the glass inward before slicing the inner workings. Sometimes to help, Shiro even teleports parts out of those pods, just to make sure it is unworkable.

When they get done, they take a quick break, looking over the damage done. No one would ever be able to use anything in this place again, and Shiro takes some type of pride in that. No Altean will ever be drained to death again here. Keith glances around before his eyes settle on something. Shiro looks at it too, seeing what Keith is before rolling his eyes. 

Of course…

“I’m going to get rid of this place once and for all,” the younger utters before grabbing some of the litter on the floor and piecing it together. Setting up some of the few things around the building, he shouts for them to get out. Shiro sees that the other two are already out the door before Keith says the whole sentence, so Shiro quickly presses himself to the other before teleporting away to the ship. Keith jumps into the pilot seat quickly, not even bothering with the belt before revving the engine up and taking off. Below them, the building crumbles in on itself, a loud crushing noise echoing around the moon and into their pod as dust and debris is thrown through the air. Keith misses it all by a hair’s breadth, steadying their flight once they leave the atmosphere.

"Get some sleep, guys," Keith stares out the window as he grips the yokes under his hands, "It's going to be a little bit of a ride."

Shiro huffs before lying down. Resting his head on his paws, he feels the way the pod sways and hums with energy. Every once in awhile, Keith's hand runs through his fur, making him melt more and more until he's asleep.

…..

Nearly a day passes before they see the white dot in the distance. Everyone was refreshed, awake and very alert. Krolia had forced Keith to step down from piloting to get some rest, to which the smaller had fought at first. He only caved when Shiro whined, pressing his chin to the other's knee before putting on what he hoped was his best puppy eyes. It must have worked, for the younger only sighed before letting his mother take over. So the two of them had snuggled while Romelle sat with Krolia in the front.

Now Keith sat in the seat again. Shiro was once again by his side, this time on the seat, which he was almost too big for. The closer they came to the castle, the bigger it got until a message panged on the dashboard, letting them know the castle was calling. The screen pulled up, showing most of the residents of the large ship.

"Attention Altean pod," Shiro nearly whined again as his ears dipped backwards in distress. It was his voice talking. His voice which sounded so much like him but it wasn't _him._ He was here, not on the castle, "Identify yourself."

Apparently, Keith didn't notice that as he spoke up.

"Shiro, it's Keith," he stared at the group. Shiro didn't think the others could see any one else besides his best friend.

"K-k-Keith," the other him stuttered with wide eyes before blinking, "I-uh-Are you okay?"

"Where have you been?" Pidge asks.

"How did you get your hands on that pod?" Coran questions.

"Does he look bigger to you guys? Is he bigger?" Lance raises his finger, staring at the screen. Shiro nearly snickers...of course Lance would be noticing that Keith had grown. Of course…

Keith cuts right to the chase.

"Where's Lotor?" He asks with a slight growl in his voice. One of the others respond by saying he's in the quintessence field and even Shiro feels a burst of fear and shock roll through his body. Keith's eyes widen before he hisses, looking ready to smack his fist on the dash and possibly take off for the gate to the quintessence field, "Oh no."

"What's wrong?" Hunk speaks up for the first time, but Keith just scowls, "Keith, why do you want to know where Lotor is?"

"I'll tell you once I land," Keith glared at the screen before cutting it off. As quickly as possible, he settles them into the hanger where some pods and some purple and orange ships sit. The younger man steps out of the ship, greeting the others with a serious face. Shiro follows him out, peering around the ship to see his...clone staring at Keith with an open mouth...in shock and something else...Shiro doesn't know how he feels about that. Lance walks forward as if needing to make sure Keith is actually Keith, saying something about an older grisly Keith which gets the half-Galra to snap at him before stepping closer to his clone.

Shiro has to stop himself from growling and attacking his fake. Keith could handle himself. He had to know something wasn't right with the situation at hand.

"We need to stop Lotor," Keith continues, stepping just feet before the other Shiro, "He's been lying to us."

"Lying about what?" The clone asks with furrowed brows, lips turned down in confusion. Shiro's ear twists back as he hears Romelle speak from his side, Krolia nearby too.

"EVERYTHING!" The Altean shouts as the group looks over in shock. Shiro tries not to glare, but he's not sure how far he gets with that as the room is filled with chaotic noise.

"Y-You're an Altean?!?"

"Who's the Galra?"

"Is that a wolf!!"

Shiro rolls his eyes...of course he's a wolf. Leave it to Hunk to ask these questions...but then again, if he remembered correctly, the other teen loved dogs...and was scared of scary things...who knew…

"Where did you come from!"

"I'll explain everything later!" Keith sighs before staring at them, "But we need to get to Lotor first."

"We can't do that," Pidge speaks up as Shiro moves closer, now at his best friend's side, "He's in the quintessence field with Allura."

"But Voltron can go in," the other protests, "We can attack him once we get inside."

"Pidge said Allura is in there with him," Lance interrupts with the most serious face Shiro had ever seen on him, "We can't put her in harm's way."

"Why are we even talking about attacking him?" Hunk demands with crossed arms, tensions rising.

"Look, Keith…" The clone stutters again before looking apologetically at everyone as if he stepped out of line or something...oh...Shiro nearly growled at the other. Was he...interested in...Keith??? Shiro glared, "E-everyone, calm down. When they return, we’ll get this all sorted out."

Shiro hunches up, fur spiking out. Talking will make no difference. Surely his clone knew that. What Lotor did couldn't be swept away that easily. Keith must have felt the same, as Shiro looked up to see the other staring at the fake with a small frown and an unsettled glare. Maybe he knew that…

“Lance is right,” the other states with awe in his voice, “You have changed.”

“Time’s different where I’ve been,” his best friend grins in that way Shiro wishes he was sending his way and not at the person who _wasn’t him!_ Krolia steps up, moving closer to the other with a small determined smile.

“Shiro, I am Krolia,” the Galra raises her hand in the traditional gesture of greeting, “Keith has told me all about you. Thank you for raising him to be the man he is today.”

Something about her tone sounds off. Shiro tilts his head in confusion because it almost sounded like she was saying something rehearsed. No one else seems to notice that, not even Keith.

‘It’s not me!’ Shiro wishes to scream at the top of his lungs, ‘That’s not me! Don’t fall for it! Guys! I don’t want you hurt! Please hear me!’

And then his best friend tells them about her being his mother. He’s saying it to who he assumes is Shiro but Shiro was with him as he learned the woman. As he came to admit she was his mother…

His fake looks momentarily surprised before a grin curls on his lips, looking like he’s ready to remark something.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” he begins just like a happy puppy until Lance busts in front of him with a surprised shout. The younger questions about the three of them before the others asks their own questions. Before they get too far, Keith turns them over to Romelle who once again explains her story to them. By the end, every face is grim. Sound goes off, telling the others that someone landed in the hangars.

Lotor and Allura.

“Shit,” some of the others curses, “What are we gonna do? We can’t attack right away or he’ll hurt Allura.”

“You guys wait here,” Keith spoke up right away, slipping into a role of leader, “Romelle, Krolia, my wolf, and I will be back here to corner him. With proof, Allura will listen to us.”

So they set up that way. It takes a moment, but the two stroll in looking happy until they see the rest looking angry. 

“What is going on?” Allura wonders as Shiro sniffs at her. She smells like peaceful happiness, confusion, loss, and...Lotor...Oh Shiro was about to wince. Allura’s heart was going to get ripped from her chest, and he’s proven correct as Romelle speaks up and all things go to hell as Allura tosses the half-Galra across the room. 

And then they don’t have time for anything. Someone...Lotor’s generals break into the hangar, stealing the ships he had noticed earlier. Some of the others run from the room. Shiro’s clone screams out in pain, grabbing his head as his scent flares in a way that makes the real Shiro’s ears swirl back. The other reeks of pain and hurt and fear. So much goddamn fright that Shiro almost chokes on it himself. 

Something’s not right.

And then Lance is shouting at them to go down and get the generals. Shiro is torn between sticking to Keith’s side and staying with his clone because _something is wrong._ In the end, he sticks with his best friend. They rush down the hall, racing for the women taking over. One of them launches off, nearly blowing all of them off their feet and then another takes a shot at them. Shiro barely gets out of the way before the blasts hit, rolling behind the doorway. Seconds go by before the shots stop and someone rushes by them all, going straight for a pod.

Shiro whines when he sees his clone hoping into one of the Altean pods with Lotor over his back. Pidge goes to send her tazer out and he sees the other man...his eyes are burning bright purple and his face is a blank grim one with a slight downturn of his lips and a dead look. Pidge doesn’t take the shot as the other man uses the opportunity to get away, flying out of there.

Shiro helps Krolia get to her feet as he sees Pidge pull Keith up. They all debate for a moment before Keith announces he’ll be flying Black. Shiro is about to follow him because Keith needed him and he wanted to keep him safe-

Pain grips him as his mind separates from his body. He feels like he’s floating...like he had before he had become a cosmic wolf. He knew no breath, no heartbeat, no...anything…

Before his eyes, a violet starry sky appears. A very familiar sky. One he's seen before as the lion showed him Daibazaal and he fought Zarkon to prove his connection to her.

“Black…”

His voice echoes around him as he stands there in the middle of nowhere. He feels weak and broken, like a screen that can't fully make its connection, wavering and scattered. Everything is dead silent and he feels like death warmed over.

"Black," he begs of his lion as he twists his hand up. It's transparent enough that he sees the sky behind it, "What happened? Why...why am I here?"

She doesn't answer. Some part of his head tells him he's been here for months...for years...another part screams that he just got here. He had been alive!! Did he die again?

"Black...please…"

No response. No breeze...no...nothing…

"Black!" He shouts before a sigh leaves him, "Please. I need to get back to my team. Back to Keith. Back so I can help them. If I have to be a wolf to do it for the rest of my life, then I will. For so long, I’ve expected to die, but I can’t now. Not if there’s a way to be there for him."

Still nothing. Some pain laces through his being before something washes over him.

_“I know you’re hurting,”_ the familiar voice whispers as if in his ear. Shiro whips around to see empty air, yet it feels like someone is there beside him...maybe in front of him, _“We just need to keep it together a little longer.”_

Time distorted from there...maybe...Shiro wasn’t sure since Black didn't make a sound nor did he feel her presence in his head. But he did feel her presence around him as something spiked in him. His vision flashed bright gold before he was staring through Black's eyes.

Only to see Keith falling with his clone.

"Keith!" He can't help but reach his paw out, as if he can catch him. Time sped up, but it didn’t feel fast enough as the two fell. He could see Keith opening his eyes from this far away, with a determined glow in them before the younger hugged his clone close. 

“KEITH!” Shiro screamed out before a roar echoed around him, Black coming to life around him...in him...he _was Black._

Swooping in to catch them, he swallowed them whole, knowing without truly knowing that they would be safe if he did so. He was the lion and the lion was he. They were one and the same at that moment. Black’s feelings were so deeply intermingled with his that he wasn’t sure when his ended and hers started. This lasted for a lifetime before it suddenly died off, leaving him back somewhere where numbness took over. 

Back on the astral plane…

But something was different. Someone was with him.

Looking around, he saw a shape in the purple haze before him, one that he knew better than himself. The bright patches of white and scarlet only proved it more and more as a paler face stayed still with only movement enough for both eyes to be scrunched shut tightly.

“Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on having each chapter be an episode from Razor's Edge and on. I will likely be adding more Shiro (Kosmo) into places he wasn't in canon, especially if a scene barely had him.


End file.
